We Welcome Your Application to Join Us!

We build each of our groups with care, keeping the groups small (no more than twelve students), and paying close attention to age, grade, gender, and the mix of hometowns and schools. Our goal is to put together great groups — groups where nice kids thrive in a supportive, wholesome, and caring environment. Please note: availability as shown is based on students traveling without a friend; if your child is interested in traveling with a friend, please call our office for availability.

Important Information about Availability

Available

This departure of this trip has good availability. Apply as soon as possible since availability changes quickly.

Limited

This departure of this trip has limited availability. Apply as soon as possible, and on receipt of your application, if space is still available, we’ll confirm a spot for you. If all of the spots are taken, we’ll call you to discuss options.

Waitlist

This departure of this trip is currently full — please call us to discuss options.

How to Apply

Apply online using a credit card for the $795 deposit (your card will not be charged until we confirm a spot for you). Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received (we do not hold spots over the phone).

When to Apply

The flow of applications starts in July and peaks in January/February. Some groups fill by the December holidays, and others will have space into the late spring. Our advice? Apply as soon as possible — it only takes a few minutes — and we’ll get to work right away to find a great spot for you.

Questions?

Call (413.458.9672) or email (info@overlandsummers.com). We look forward to hearing from you.

Scouting Report: The Alps

Discovery & Inspiration

Welcome to our third update on our scouting trip series! 

Our scouting team was back in the familiar mountains of the Swiss Alps. We had the chance to sit down with Alpine Explorer and Alpine Challenge trip planner, @Dave McCahill, to hear about his itinerary updates.

Overland has been running trips in the Alps since 1994, which makes Alpine Challenge one of our oldest trips. What were your goals when scouting Alpine Explorer and Alpine Challenge this fall?

Dave: I wanted to locate some new day hiking possibilities for Alpine Challenge (near Simmenfälle in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland), and to improve the fourth day of Alpine Explorer’s “thru-hike” from Adelboden to Kandersteg (also in the Bernese Oberland, in the shadow of some truly breathtaking snow-capped peaks)! 

Are there any exciting updates to the itineraries in 2023? If so, can you share the details?

Dave: Yes! Alpine Explorer will now enjoy a beautiful new route along the Lotschberg Panorama Trail into the town of Kandersteg. It’s a breathtaking route filled with lots of wildflowers, and views of some truly massive glaciated peaks. But more importantly, it’s a route that our groups can enjoy in all weather conditions, maximizing the chances for our groups to march triumphantly into Kandersteg upon completion of a successful thru-hike.

What are you most excited for students and leaders to experience in the Alps next summer?

Dave: Both groups (Alpine Challenge and Alpine Explorer) will experience the views from the quaint village of Kandersteg. It’s just a breathtaking spot– the peaks rise so sharply out of the valley that you have to keep craning your neck back to see the tallest glaciers, and they mix in easily with puffy clouds! I can’t think of a more beautiful spot to hike! 

What is your personal favorite part of the Alpine Challenge and Alpine Explorer itineraries?

Dave: My favorite spot on both the Alpine Challenge and Alpine Explorer is on the “Hohtürli” pass– Alpine Explorer students experience this as a day hike, while Alpine Challenge keeps on thru-hiking here all the way towards Grindelwald. It’s a high mountain pass beside a glacier, with sunsets so beautiful you feel like you’re in a different world! I met with Corinne, the owner of a campsite where our groups stay each year– it’s at the base of the climb to Hohtürli. Corinne and her family love Overland, they’ve been welcoming our groups for almost 30 years, and they’ve seen it all and had so many great stories to share. Her father Ruedi ran the campsite when I passed through with a group in 2013 which was so much fun– he always wore these wooden clogs called ‘Zoggeli’ — the epitome of Swiss fashion.

What makes our trips to the Alps special to you? 

Dave: These trips are so special because they combine everything that Overland groups love: beautiful scenery, wildflowers, delicious bakeries, incredible sunsets, cows with their cowbells, and amazing hikes. The routes are tough– they’re definitely a challenge– but trips in Switzerland somehow pull out the best in each student and each group. It’s hard not to smile, laugh, and come together as a group with views this beautiful.

Do you have any advice for students interested in Alpine Challenge or Alpine Explorer next summer? 

Dave: Pre-trip preparation is important: make sure to do plenty of warm-up hikes in your boots. But most of all, be prepared to soak up each part of the experience in Switzerland: try new treats in a bakery, or even place your order in French, German or Italian! The more open you are to new friendships and new challenges, the more fun you’ll have in the Swiss Alps! 


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